When Ed Valentine of Valentine Farm, Wadsworth, Ohio, was looking for a way to transport his hogs to market, he considered a number of different vehicles.

He settled on a school bus the local school system was trying to get rid of. "I know the superintendent of the Wadsworth schools pretty well, and he showed me a bus that the school had revamped to transport some items," said Valentine.

Picking up on the idea, Valentine decided that the 60-passenger bus fit his need perfectly and would offer a little fun to the chore of going to the market.

The bus has adequate room for about 50 200-lb. plus hogs. The old bus cost less and provides a smoother ride for the porkers than a trailer could ever manage.

Valentine said the bus required a few modifications for its conversion from a child to a swine transporter.

Aside from painting and getting the bus into shape, the addition of slate to the windows were the only changes needed.

"I guess it took me about three days to make the conversion, and I have been using it for almost a year now for my weekly trips to the market," he said.

The Medina County Farm Bureau member operates a 600-acre farm with soybeans and corn, and raises about 1,500 hogs a year.

Valentine enjoys making the trip in the bus to the Producers Livestock market near Wooster. "The first few times we turned a few heads," he said. "One lady in Orrville tried to flag down the bus. But, now people are used to it and don't pay much attention."